On November 28, 2009, something BIG is going to happen. In celebration of that big event, yours truly will be giving out a sort of a prize as a way of showing my gratitude and thanks with what happened on that same event one year ago.
Three days before November 28, 2009, I will be back home in the Philippines and I will be treating someone to a free lunch or dinner to a restaurant of his/her choice to the one who will be able to guess correctly what will be happening on that day. Plus I will also give a surprise gift for that lucky person.
You might be asking why I’m doing this. I’ll spill all the details. After 37 days.
- also posted in my Multiply blog and Facebook page
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My GodWhisper for tonight:
Dear Rolly07,
Embrace failure. Fail forward. Fail quickly. So that you can start again.It’s the only road to success.
To your great success,
God
P.S. Rolly07, you will succeed. I know.
My reply,
Dear God,
Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people?
Your servant,
Rolly
P.S.
Lead me the way to your wisdom, that I will not fall like Solomon.
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Lead Me To The Cross
Hillsong United
Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross
You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
Te word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you’re risen
To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart
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I was able to know this Contemporary Christian music radio programming service through a colleague in No Lemon. I overheard on his laptop some Christian rock tunes that was familiar to me. I asked about it and he told me it was audio streaming from K-Love.
This audio streaming service is very apt here in Afghanistan where the Internet is really, really slow. You can listen to K-love online on low bandwidth (5 k music stream).
I may not be able to download my favorite Christian tunes but at least I am able to listen to it now. ☺
Just go to www.klove.com to listen online.
K-Love. Positive & Encouraging!
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The Stream And The Wind
One day, the Stream stared at the dessert—and sighed a deep sigh.
He knew he was stuck. How could he cross this giant dessert?
So the Stream talked to the Wind.
“Mr. Wind, I need your advice. I want to cross this gigantic dessert. But if I throw myself to it, the sand will absorb me and I will be no more…”
“That is true,” the Wind thought deeply.
“So what should I do? You see, I have a dream. I want to grow. I want more fish to make their home in me. I want more trees to plant their roots on my shoulders. I want happy families to have picnics on my banks. I want to bless the world with great love.”
The Wind smiled, “I can help you. I can absorb you and carry you through this dessert.”
The Stream was stunned. He said, “Isn’t that terrifying? What does that mean that you will absorb me?”
“That means that you’ll become a cloud and I’ll carry you to the other side of the dessert. Once there, you’ll become rain and you can become a stream again.”
“I’ll change my form? I’ll no longer be me?”
No One Can Resist Change
“Mr. Stream, you have three choices. Your first choice is to give up your dream and stay where you are.
The Stream said, “Out of the question. My dream of love pushes me to grow.”
“Your second choice,” said the Wind, “is to cross the dessert without changing anything. To dream and yet to prevent the dream from changing you.”
“And what is my third choice?”
“To dream and embrace change,” the Wind smiled.
“Carry me, Mr. Wind. I’m ready!” the Stream laughed.
Be Comfortable With Chaos
Immediately, the Wind rushed down and blew hard on the Stream. Bits and pieces of the Stream began to swirl upwards. It was terrifying. Chaos ruled!
For a moment, the Stream was gripped by the clutches of fear again.
So the Wind shouted through the chaos, “Who are you? You’re not a Stream. You’re Water! Your essence is not your form. When you know who you really are, you can be comfortable amidst the chaos. Because deep within you, you know that nothing will ever change.”
Water said, “But I am still afraid!”
“Love who you are and love your dream. Love the fish who will live in you, the trees who will be planted on your shoulders, and the families who will have picnics on your banks. And love will push all your fear away.”
Finally, at the other side of the dessert, the falling rain collected itself into a Stream again. When he was complete, he said, “Mr. Wind, I don’t know how to thank you. You changed me.”
The Wind smiled, “No, my friend. Only love can change you.”
- an excerpt from Bo Sanchez’ blog entry entitled “Do You Embrace Change?” If you want to read the whole blog entry just click the blog title. I guarantee you will learn more. ☺
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In the March 29, 2009 copy of The Feast Bulletin, Bo Sanchez gave an assignment to the attendees of The Feast. He asked to write down at least 25 people in their life that have blessed them so much and to write a short individual note of appreciation to at least the top 5 or 10 in the list. Even though I’m not able to attend The Feast, I still get a copy of the bulletin (thanks to a good friend of mine), and I made my own list. This is an edited version (I made the original list and note of appreciation in my journal) because some of them I’m sure does not want their full name to be shown to the world , to be blogged about or the note of appreciation I did is too personal. But I will send the full, unedited note of appreciation to each one of them. Here goes my list.
1. Bo Sanchez - Thank you for being an instrument in healing me from my pornographic addiction, for being a good example of how a true Christian lives, and for being an inspiration.
2. Bro. Orland - Thank you for opening the door for me to the Lord. For being the first man to really introduce who Jesus is to my life.
3. Melissa - Thank you for being an instrument in bringing me back closer to God, for being a great friend, and…..
4. Mama - Thank you for all the love that you have given me, you’re giving and will continue to give until your last breath.
5. Tuneng (Antonio Cabales) - Thank you for being a good friend and for being a real best friend to me.
6. Ryan Casing - For being a friend and a great Team Leader. An example of a great leader.
7. Edmund Pineda - For being a friend and…
8. Lhynette Wayne Pineda - For being my lovely and beautiful inaanak. You are like a real daughter to me. Just seeing your face and your smile erases all the tiredness I have from work and life.
9. Fr. Sonny Ramirez - For giving sermons that really tugged my heart and made me cry in the restroom of SM all by myself.
10. Fr. Jerry Orbos - For giving sermons and jokes so simple yet so effective.
11. Fatima Soriano - For showing me that we can still be happy in spite of our disabilities.
12. “Ella B” (Ella Abalos) - For sticking with me as a friend in ACS in spite of my stubbornness and childish ways.
13. Donna Guevarra - Thanks for being a friend and listening to me.
14. Mau/Mae Ladera - Thank you for being a friend in Christ.
15. Dennis Padayao - Thank you for showing me what a real man is.
16. Joy Arlos - Thank you for being a “bridge” in bringing me to Afghanistan for my work here.
17. Jen - For referring me in No Lemon and for trusting in my abilities.
18. Papa
19. Jaro
20. Beth Macha - For being such a kind woman and a great team leader as well.
21. Carlo Cayabyab - For being a testament that I am not alone in my beliefs about love and sex.
22. Fayaz Ahmad Fayaz - For being my mentor in No Lemon. For showing me to live life simply and to not worry about mundane and simple problems.
23. Michael Jordan - A surprise. This very famous athlete does not have a relationship with me or a direct contact to my life but have blessed me so much by showing me how to live life - by not quitting.
24. BP4 Friends - I could write all the names of you guys and gals and it will exceed the 25 that Bo Sanchez wrote in the Bulletin so I’m writing you as a group. There’s a saying that the friends you meet in school are going to be your friends for life. As for me, I think the friends I meet in ACS (and that’s all of you BP4 guys and gals), are going to be my friends for life.
25. Wave 9 Collapse Friends - Same with BP4, I have have included you in the “25 People Who Have Blessed Me So Much” as a group. We spent just a short time together but the impact you guys and gals had in my life is so lasting. You have given me inspiration and in a way gave direction to my life. I don’t know if we’ll still meet each other again. One thing for sure, if i accidentally bumped one of you in the future, I will have to thank you and give you a buss or a hug for being such a blessing in my life.
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Francis Magalona passes away
Francis Magalona, considered the father of Pinoy Rap, passed away quietly today noon at Medical City Hospital in Mandaluyong after waging a battle against leukemia for almost a year. He was 44.
The singer-TV host’s death was announced today on the GMA-7 noontime program, Eat Bulaga, where he had served as a co-host for many years.
For the past several months, Magalona had been undergoing chemotherapy while awaiting a scheduled bone marrow transplant. His condition worsened Thursday night, necessitating confinement at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Magalona was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2008. Not wanting to turn his sickness into a media circus, he appealed for privacy even as he also asked friends and the public to donate blood. The response, according to his family, was overwhelming.
His wife, Pia Arroyo-Magalona, said the disease manifested itself gradually, almost unnoticeably. Doctors raised the family’s hope, saying the rapper’s condition was treatable.
Magalona is arguably the country’s first rapper, who paved the way for the genre’s acceptance among Filipinos. He is also generally regarded as the inventor and pioneer of original Rap Music in the Philippines.
Breaking away from the mould of matinee idols in the late 80s, he composed and recorded songs, done in the key of rap, which tackled non-traditional issues. A full-time actor before shifting to singing, he appeared in a number of youth-oriented movies, among them Bagets 2.
He was also a staunch nationalist, who wrote songs like Mga Kababayan, Halalan, Tayo’y Mga Pinoy, which rallied Pinoys to love their country and respect one another.
FrancisM left behind a wealth of hit songs that have earned him the title, King of Rap. Among these trailblazing hits are Meron Akong Ano, Mga Praning, Cool Summer Nights, etc.
Francis Magalona was among nine children by former actors Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. The multi-talented youth first gained notice as a breakdancer, then actor, until he launched the groundbreaking album, Yo!, in 1990. Yo! became the first commercially released rap album in the Philippines.
- from Manila Bulletin online: http://www.mb.com.ph/node/197981
He will sorely be missed.
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After almost two months of not being able to access my Friendster profile, it’s now available again for viewing!
Thanks to FS Email Support. I must say however that I had to email them two times because I did not receive a reply on my first email.
The email just asked me to have the option for Safe Mode ticked yes! That’s all I had to to.
So to all those asking about my FS profile, it’s now available again for viewing.
Miss you all and God Bless you all.
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“Naalala mo lang naman ang mga kaibigan pag malungkot ka….dahil pag masaya ka, kasama mo sila.” - Bob Ong
I received this quote from my cell phone and it tugged my heart. After getting a dose of Benjamin Button quotes, its back to the famous Bob Ong (If you want more of Bob Ong quotes, just read my previous blog entries).
I must say that I’m also having attacks of homesickness working abroad and whenever it comes to me, I just turn to my cell phone. Yes, my old and trusted Nokia 5200. Inside my cell phone are pictures of my family and friends back home. I just make a slide show of the pictures and listen to my favorite Praise and Worship songs and voila! The feeling of homesickness fades away. Whenever I see the smiles on the faces of my friends and see how happy we are with the time spent together, the feeling of loneliness and homesickness just drifts away.
It’s really hard to find real friends but I’m happy to say I have found not a few but just enough to make my life worth living. With that being said, I am ending this blog entry with a poem that I read from a devotional book given by a very good friend that I read every day. The page that I read today starts by saying “One of the most important things we can ever do is to be truly thankful to our friends…and say so.”
And ends with this poem:
Thank God For You
Good friend of mine,
Seldom is friendship such as thine;
How very much I wish to be
As helpful as you’ve been to me.
Of many prayer guests, one thou art
On whom I ask God to impart
Rich blessings from His storeroom rare,
And grant to you His gracious care.
When I recall, from time to time,
How you’ve inspired this heart of mine:
I find myself inclined to pray,
God bless my friend this very day.
So often at the throne of Grace,
There comes a picture of your face:
And then I instinctively pray
That God may guide you all the way.
Some day, I hope with you to stand
Before the throne, at God’s right hand:
And to say to you - at journey’s end:
“Praise God you’ve been to me a friend.
THANK GOD FOR YOU.”
- Joseph Clark
Thanks to all of you guys and gals! =)
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Even though I’m not in the Philippines, I am still receiving text messages from my Globe number (thanks to International Roaming!). So I still have my doses of inspirational messages, jokes, and quotes from my friends back home.
I received two quotes in my cellphone that intrigued me. The quotes were from Benjamin Button. Since I no longer read the newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch TV, I didn’t have the slightest idea who this Benjamin Button is. So, today I decided to turn to Google and I found out that Benjamin Button is the main character from the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which is portrayed by Brad Pitt.
I don’t know if the movie has been shown already in the Phillippines but I now have another must-see movie. If I can’t watch this movie on the big screen, a DVD copy will do. Hehe. The movie has been critically-acclaimed and is a box-office hit. It has 13 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. The story is adapted from the 1920’s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man born in his eighties and ages backwards. Intriguing, eh? I will definitely watch this movie.
In the meantime, keep sending those Benjamin Button quotes you have in your cellphones to me. Haha.
Here are the two Benjamin Button quotes I received:
“Your life is defined by opportunities…Even the ones you miss.”
“For what it’s worth, its never too late, to be whoever you want to be. There is no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to these things. You can make the best or worst of it, but choose to make the best of it. Choose to see the things that stop you. Choose to feel things you never felt before. Choose to meet people with a different point of view. Choose to live a life you can be proud of, yet if you find that you are not, then have the strength to start all over again.”
Nice quotes, don’t you think so? =)
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